We all want what’s best for our babies. Making homemade baby food is a great way to ensure your baby is getting the nutrients they need to grow and thrive, without all the added preservatives the typical baby food from the grocery store contains. Many foods can be prepared and stored in the refrigerator or freezer, and even busy moms with hectic work schedules, or those who cannot type an e-mail on a laptop without a toddler attempting to sit on the keyboard, can prepare ahead homemade baby foods for their children to enjoy.Best Fruits and Vegetables for Making Baby Food

There are many delicious and nutritious foods that are easily pureed for your baby’s enjoyment. A simple run through the food processor makes fresh bananas, peaches, plums, blueberries and avocados ready to be served to your baby. Foods like sweet potatoes, carrots, squash, sweet peas, spinach, apples and pears need to be cooked prior to being pureed, and the cooking method most recommended is steaming, as the food loses the least amount of nutrients in this process.

Combination Baby Foods

Besides making basic baby foods, you can also combine different fruits and vegetables to broaden your baby’s palate. Sweet potatoes and bananas are a great combination, as well as apples and carrots, bananas and blueberries or pears and peas. Spinach can also be added with just about anything, and serves up a power punch of Vitamin C and calcium. Whole grain pasta also adds texture and additional nutrients to baby foods. Many dishes you prepare for the whole family can easily be pureed and served to your baby as well.

Storing Homemade Baby Food

To store your homemade baby food, a wide variety of storage containers specifically for this purpose can be purchased, or you can use recycled baby food jars, or even ice trays are a great way to store small serving sizes in the freezer. Allow the baby food to freeze in the ice trays, then pop them out and place the cubes in a freezer safe bag.

Better All Around

Preparing your own homemade baby food also has the added perk of being more
affordable than store bought baby food. Fresh fruits and vegetables usually make several servings for your baby for the price of one or two containers of store bought baby food. Not only is homemade baby food better for your baby, but it can also be better for your budget.